1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hand-held weed trimmers. More specifically, the invention is a transparent shield kit with means to attach it to hand-held weed trimmers of various designs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand-held trimmers for cutting grass, weeds, and light brush are often equipped with guards that incompletely cover rapidly rotating cutting members, such as filaments, blades, and rods. Trimmers are manufactured with partially exposed cutting members to allow trimmer operators to view cutting areas during use. Consequently, small stones and trimmings are frequently thrown or deflected toward the trimmer operator.
There is a need for an economical kit to add a lightweight shield to commonly available hand-held weed trimmers and, subsequently, protect operators from debris thrown by the weed trimmers during use without obscuring their view of the area being cut.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a transparent shield, an extension arm, and a clamp to pivotally attach the shield to the elongate tubular shaft between the handle and cutting head common to hand-held trimmers.
The related art of interest describes various weed trimmer shields, but none discloses the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 373,712 issued to John C. Bridgers shows a debris shield fastened to a clamp that mounts on the shaft of a weed trimmer. Bridgers shows a shield that is substantially rectangular, unlike the square, slotted shape of the preferred embodiment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,205 issued to Tomohito Sugihara and Hajime Tomita describes a pivotally adjustable protective cover for a trimmer. Sugihara et al. do not discuss either an extension arm or a slotted design for the rigid upper plate portion of the cover. Sugihara et al. recommend a guard assembly with a plurality of elastic members not part of the preferred embodiment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,126 issued to Steven E. Byrne discloses a flail trimmer with a second embodiment that includes a xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d guard that attaches directly to a portion of the edge of the cone shaped guard on Byrne""s invention. Unlike the present invention, Bryne""s xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d guard is not easily adaptable to fit other trimmers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,349 issued to Earl S. Dolin describes a protective skirt hanging from two rods held by a clamp on opposite sides of a trimmer shaft so that the longitudinal axes of the rods are substantially the same. Dolin describes a vertically disposed protective skirt, unlike the rigid shield of the preferred embodiment that can easily be adjusted to any position from vertical to horizonal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,876 issued to Thomas E. Ezell describes a variety of embodiments for debris shields suspended from L-shaped and straight brackets. Each of Ezell""s embodiment describes a bracket with a clamp at one end with a substantially rectangular debris shield suspended from the other end. Ezell relies on a variety of embodiments to fit different trimmer shafts, unlike the preferred embodiment that accommodates a wide variety of trimmers.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a kit for a weed trimmer shield solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention is a kit for a weed trimmer shield to fit between handle and cutting head on hand-held weed trimmers with straight, angular, arched, or other type shafts. The kit includes a shield that is substantially square, transparent, and planar with a U-shaped, vertical slot of a predetermined width and length that separates the upper quarters of the shield. Additionally the kit includes a clamp, an extension arm, and finger-tightened fasteners, such as wingnuts and bolts.
The shield is pivotally attached to the extension arm on a trimmer with an angled, arched, or other shaft design that rises significantly above the ground near the cutting head. The extension arm is pivotally attached to the clamp that is fixed on the trimmer shaft. The clamp and extension arm are adjusted so that the base of the shield is at ground-level when in use. In this arrangement, the trimmer shaft passes through the upper portion of the slot or directly above the slot in the shield.
In a second embodiment, the extension arm is not used. The shield is pivotally attached to the clamp on a trimmer with a straight shaft that joins the cutting head at a sharp angle relative to the ground. The clamp is positioned on the trimmer shaft so that the base of the shield is at ground-level during use. In this arrangement, the trimmer shaft passes through the end of the U-shaped slot, substantially at the center of the shield.
The shield is manufactured from plastic or other shock absorbing material that is substantially transparent, allowing the operator to see what is being cut while giving the operator full-body protection from rocks, trimmings, and other debris thrown from the trimmer cutting head. Finger-operated fasteners allow the shield to be easily removed from the trimmer for cleaning.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a kit for a shield that can be easily fitted by an unskilled person onto hand-held weed trimmers that have straight, angled, arched, or other shaft configurations.
It is another object of the invention that the shield protect the operator of the trimmer from rocks, trimmings, and other flying debris thrown by the trimmer.
It is another object of the invention to give the operator a protected view of weed trimmer cutting head while in use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a shield for a weed trimmer attachable to the trimmer shaft either with or without an extension arm.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a shield for a weed trimmer that is readily removable for cleaning.
It is still another object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described that are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.